Best first vegetables for babies
You do not have to start with sweet potato just because it is orange and friendly. From around 6 months, almost any cooked-soft vegetable is fair game, and offering the bitter, green, and boring ones early, before your baby has decided sweet wins, is one of the quiet advantages of starting now. Here are the reliable ones to reach for first.
How to prepare them
The rule is simple: cook until soft enough to squish between your fingers. Steam or roast (steaming keeps more nutrients), then purée for spoon-feeding or cut into soft finger-length pieces for baby-led weaning. Skip the salt, and pair veg with an iron-rich food to round out the meal.
Vegetable pages to explore
Each has its own page with the right age, texture, and how to serve it.
Sweet potato, Carrot, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Peas, Green beans, Butternut squash, Pumpkin, Spinach, Potato, Beet, Parsnip, Corn, Asparagus, Eggplant, Bell pepper, Cucumber, Okra, Kale.
More reading
See the best first foods, browse every food one at a time, or read why iron matters at 6 months.
Related reading
See first foods, best first fruits, and best first proteins.
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables can babies eat first?
Soft-cooked vegetables are great starters: sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, potato, zucchini, and peas. Steam or roast until they squish easily, then purée or offer as soft finger foods.
Should I give vegetables before fruit?
Some parents start with vegetables in the hope of building a taste for less-sweet flavors. The evidence that order matters is limited, so what counts most is offering a wide variety early. Do what works for your family.
How do I prepare vegetables for babies?
Cook them until soft (steaming keeps the most nutrients), then purée for spoon-feeding or cut into soft finger-length pieces for baby-led weaning. Skip added salt.
What vegetables should babies avoid?
Avoid raw, hard vegetables (like raw carrot sticks), which are choking hazards. Cook vegetables soft, and cut them to age-appropriate sizes.
Log every first bite, and keep it
Look up any food for the safe cut and prep by age, log the first try in a tap, and YummyYucky saves it as a keepsake of firsts you will want years from now. Free.
Log a first bite, freeLast updated July 2026. Next review January 2027. How we write these: grounded in widely published pediatric guidance (the AAP, WHO, the NIAID 2017 allergen guidelines, and the LEAP study), and pending independent review by a pediatric professional. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these.
This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.
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